There’s no evidence of dog fighting taking place in the Sylvan Lake area, according to RCMP.
A recent post on an Internet classified advertising site contained a picture of a badly mutilated dog and caused widespread reaction in the area during the past month.
Sylvan Lake RCMP were able to identify the person who posted the photo and determined it was taken from an unknown internet site. “The ad was posted by a concerned citizen who had heard that dogs were being stolen in the Sylvan Lake area for dog fighting rings,” said RCMP Cst. Gord Marshall in a news release. The concerned citizen posted the photo “with the intent of demonstrating how cruel this type of abuse is. The post then made it to Facebook and was very quickly shared in many other social media platforms.”
Marshall stated that while the RCMP received numerous phone calls from concerned citizens with inquiries only, there have “not been reports of specific or actual incidents”.
Police worked with Animal Control and the SPCA in their investigation and “have not been able to confirm any evidence that dogs are going missing for the purpose of dog fighting”.
The RCMP will investigate any new information or tips received, Marshall stated. Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward.
Jim deBoon, at Klassic Kennels, the town’s animal control contractor, posted the following on his Facebook page on Mar. 26.
“So, for those hearing the statements about lots of injured dogs around Sylvan to Rocky, we here and the other animal service that does Rocky and Red Deer County have had NO such injured dogs come in to us. So all I can say is that while we know dog fighting rings exist, and they could be operating anywhere, we have no recent information of one in our area. That being said, NEVER give a dog away for free, especially online. Never leave your dog unattended where it could stray or be picked up. And report any suspicious behaviour to the proper authorities. Hope this helps.”
A story in the Rocky Mountain House Mountaineer last week, states the same thing.
RCMP S/Sgt. Bill Laidlaw indicated “there is no evidence such a ring is operating, although he confirmed police have also heard the rumours,” stated the story in the Apr. 9 edition.